ERST LESEN! » on a tear, tying a club record with a homer i

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It took the Kansas City Chiefs four games and a bye week ruminating over an embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh before they finally were able to execute their blueprint for victory.The Oakland Raiders wound up on the receiving end of it.In a crucial AFC West matchup on Sunday, the Chiefs were able to dictate the tempo of the game with their robust ground game.They were able to put quarterback Alex Smith into smart passing situations that kept the defense honest. And their defense made life miserable for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.The result was a 26-10 win that moved them into a tie in the loss column for the division lead, and sets up a five-game stretch against teams with losing records in which they could seize control.It was getting back to us, Smith said. Balance within the run game, seeing misdirection, inside-outside, in the passing game, quick screens, throwing the ball downfield, stretching the field -- thats what we hang our hat on, to be able to be multiple and do a lot of different stuff.The Chiefs hardly had a chance to showcase that the first four weeks of the season.They dug a massive hole against San Diego that forced them to abandon the run and air it out for the biggest comeback in franchise history.They played lousy in offense in a loss in Houston, then relied on eight turnovers -- including a pick-six -- in their victory over the Jets.Against the Steelers, the Chiefs again dug such a bottomless hole in the opening few minutes that they almost seemed to give up. The result was a humiliating 43-14 loss on national television.Smith even acknowledged how much the frustration had been mounting.Any teammate that cares, the veteran quarterback said, yeah, you know they wear it.So, about that blueprint for success -- exactly how well did the Chiefs fare in following it?Well, they ran for 183 yards while throwing for 223 yards, precisely the kind of split that they find ideal.Taking the pressure off Smith allowed him to complete 19 of 23 passes, and the fact that he was only sacked once was a big reason he averaged more than 10 yards per attempt.It was easily his best day of the season, even if he didnt throw a touchdown pass.We have full belief in that guy, Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson said. To have a person like that to be able to control so much talent in the wide receivers group to be able to get everybody the ball and to just take charge of that, its a great job by him.Not surprisingly, Smith deflected much of the praise directed at him to his running backs .Spencer Ware carried 24 times for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Jamaal Charles ran for another 33 yards and a score as he continued to get more work in his second game back from ACL surgery.As a team, the Chiefs averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns on the ground.Ive mentioned this before that weve been kind of shooting ourselves in the foot, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. If we ever get those things straightened out we have a better chance of doing OK.The Chiefs didnt have a turnover despite sloppy conditions. They were penalized just twice for 10 yards. And they dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 36 minutes, 45 seconds.All of those contributed to a strong performance by the defense, too.The Raiders only managed 286 yards of total offense , converted just four third downs and failed to convert either of their fourth-down attempts. Carr was sacked twice, threw an interception and then lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, when the Raiders were trying to rally.Its big, but we cant get too high, Chief safety Eric Berry said. As soon as we watch film, we are going to be onto New Orleans. Correct mistakes that show up, and whatever we need to fix, were going to do that, but right now were just focusing on stacking wins like this.It was just one step on the ladder, Berry added, so we keep moving.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Adidas Superstar Wholesale Nz .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Adidas Original Superstar Nz . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.discountsuperstarnz.com/ . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Superstar Shoes Nz . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Adidas Superstar Online Nz .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres look to continue their home run spree when opening a nine-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Petco Park.Or should the Padres downtown digs be christened Muscle Beach?While little has gone right for rebuilding San Diego (44-58) this season, it has blasted home runs in 25 straight games. Slugging San Diego joins the 1998 Atlanta Braves (25), and four American League clubs, as the only clubs to reach that mark in major-league history.If the Padres go yard on Friday in the first of a three-game series with the Reds, they will set the NL record and inch closer to the 2002 Texas Rangers standard of homers in 27 straight games.San Diegos lineup is matched against a Reds starter whos been torched by big flies. Southpaw Brandon Finnegan (5-8, 4.93 ERA) has absorbed 22 home runs in 20 games.The Padres are coming off Wednesdays 8-4 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in which Adam Rosales and Brett Wallace went deep and Alex Dickerson, among the organizations top prospects, stroked a homer for the fourth consecutive game.Thats a nifty personal feat but it pales to what the Padres are accomplishing.What gives for a team which is shedding veterans and trying to construct a brighter future as it careens toward its sixth straight losing season?Our chase percentages are down outside the strike zone, and were forcing guys into the zone more often, (and) were walking more than we were early in the season, Padres rookie manager Andy Green told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Those things you can control.Hitting the ball out of the ballpark 25 straight (games), its borderline fluke. Its just one of those thinggs that happen.dddddddddddd We dont think about it much.The Padres brawn will likely occupy Finnegans thoughts. He has surrendered a home run in six straight starts and 10 blasts in his last four.San Diego hands the ball to veteran Edwin Jackson (1-1, 4.30 overall), hoping he can duplicate his last outing at Petco. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Giants in his Padres debut on July 17 before settling for the win. Jackson has been keen in two starts after taking Drew Pomeranzs rotation spot when Pomeranz was peddled to the Boston Red Sox.With Mondays trading deadline approaching, the Reds continue to field offers for Jay Bruce. The All-Star right fielder has been on a tear, tying a club record with a homer in five straight games; he has six homers in five games. Its possible the All-Star is playing his final games with the Reds.I would expect things to probably over the weekend get a little more engaged, Walt Jocketty, the Reds director of baseball operations, told mlb.com. There are clubs that have been engaged in Jay for a while. Its basically the same clubs but no one has really come up and been really aggressive.It figures scouts from three West Coast contenting teams, the Giants, Dodgers and Mariners, will be evaluating the left-hand hitting veteran corner outfielder who fills a need.Like the Padres, the Reds (40-61) are trying to flip their roster and collect young talent with upside. Surprisingly, San Diego is doing it while hitting the ball outside the ballpark at an historic rate. ' ' '